Role of Agroforestry in Conservation of Natural Resources in Rainfed Areas

Abstract

“Agroforestry (AF) is a collective name for land-use systems in which woody perennials (trees, shrubs, palms, bamboos etc.) are deliberately grown in association with herbaceous plants (crops, pastures) or livestock, in a spatial arrangement, a rotation, or both; there are usually both ecological and economic interactions between trees and other components of the system” (Lundgren, 1982). This definition implies that: • agroforestry normally involves two or more species of plants (or plants and animals), at least one of which is woody perennial; • an agroforestry system always has two or more outputs; • the cycle of agroforestry system is always more than one year; and • even the simplest agroforestry system is more complex, ecologically (structurally and functionally) and economically, than a monocropping system. The practice of trees and arable crops together on the same piece of land is an age-old practice with the Indian dry land farmers. Agroforestry results in multiple products, increases income, reduces runoff and soil loss, utilizes off-season rainfall and radiation and gives stability to dry land agriculture. Further it makes the future generation farmers to inherit not only the land of their predecessors, but also the wealth of standing biomass of trees. Fifty seven per cent of the geographical area of the country suffers from one or the other kind of soil degradation